Daniel Maldini followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather when he made his Italy debut in the UEFA Nations League. The Italian midfielder came on in the second half to win his first cap for his country in Udine. This was the first time in history that three generations from the same family have played for the national team. Italy beat Israel 4-1 and are currently top of the Group 2 standings.

Many footballers have followed in their father's footsteps, but in Daniel Maldini's case, he had more than one generation of family history to live up to when he came onto the pitch in the UEFA Nations League.

Italy were playing Israel at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, and the home side won 4-1.But with 16 minutes left on the clock, Maldini came on as a substitute for Giacomo Raspadori to earn his first cap for the Azzurri, making him the third generation of his family to pull on an Italian shirt.

The BBC reports that this is the first time three generations from the same family have represented Italy. Maldini's father Paolo won 126 caps in an illustrious career, while his grandfather Cesare won 14.

After the match, the Italian described the "strong, positive emotion" as he maintained his overriding feeling was one of happiness that Italy had managed to get the win.

"We were in control of the match until they scored, but we kept up with our game plan and it paid off," Maldini said. "I hope I can bring a bit of quality to the table, even if there's already plenty of it. I'll do my best to help out as much as I can.

"I'm pleased my parents could make it. We'll have a chance to catch up when I get back."

Italy are currently top of Group A2 with three wins and a draw from their four matches.Israel is still at the bottom of the table with no wins in a tough group that also includes France and Belgium. France are currently second in the table after beating Belgium 2-1.